Mexican-style chicken Parm recipe

A Jersey girl through and through, Carolyn grew up spending her summers down in Avalon, NJ. As a young girl, she often cooked alongside her mother and grandmother, whose seafood creations instilled a true passion for fresh, local produce...

Chicken Parm Mexican fiesta style!

A KEEPER recipe for sure! Family and friends will love this Mexican twist on the classic chicken Parm!

Our Mexican chicken Parm is breaded with seasoned panko breadcrumbs, topped with a simple-to-prepare Mexican red sauce and smothered in hot, melted Mexican-style cheese! Garnished with chopped green onion and served over Mexican rice with sour cream and toasted tortillas... it's a main course they'll request over and over again!

Mexican-style chicken Parm recipe

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

For the Mexican red sauce

24 ounces canned chopped tomatoes or jarred tomato puree

1 medium onion, chopped

3 large garlic cloves, smashed

Handful of fresh cilantro, rinsed well to get rid of any sand

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

2 teaspoons paprika

2 serrano or jalapeño peppers, pulp and seeds removed, chopped

Juice from 1 lime

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup water

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

For the Mexican chicken Parm

2 pounds chicken breast, pounded thin (4-6 breasts)

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs, beaten

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1 cup vegetable or canola oil (divided 1/2 and 1/2)

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

8 ounces Mexican-style shredded cheese

1 cup green onion, chopped

Sour cream and your favorite Mexican rice (if desired)

Directions:

Prepare the Mexican red sauce

Add the first 10 ingredients to a large food possessor and puree until well combined. Add pureed sauce to a medium-size pot equipped with a lid. Stir in olive oil and water and turn on the heat to medium. Bring sauce to a light boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat to low/simmer, cover and cook sauce 10-15 minutes. Turn off heat, stir, salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare the chicken

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Set out 3 shallow bowls on your counter top. Place flour in one, beaten eggs in the second and panko, garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, cumin and paprika in the third.

Place a large frying on your stove top. Place 1/2 cup of oil in the pan and heat over medium heat. Salt and pepper your chicken.

In batches, dredge pounded chicken breasts in flour (shaking off excess), dip in the egg, then coat in the panko mixture.

Place coated chicken in frying pan and fry, flipping once, until lightly browned on each side, about 2 minutes per side. (Add the additional 1/2 cup of oil midway through frying to continue cooking the chicken... just be sure to allow the oil to heat up again before adding the second batch of chicken.)

Once all the chicken is fried, place chicken in a roasting pan, cover with desired amount of prepared Mexican red sauce, top with desired amount of cheese and place in the preheated oven about 5-10 minutes (depending on thickness of chicken).

Remove from the oven and serve Mexican-style chicken Parm over Mexican rice, top with chopped green onion, sour cream and tortillas on the side if desired.